A broker we once knew told me that birdwatching was a good way to relieve stress. I think he read that in the Wall Street Journal. I believed him because, first, I agree, and second, he knew something about stress, having sold us a few forgettable shares.
He came to mind one morning as I sat at a window in a cabin in a woods, staring at some goldfinches coming and going from a feeder. It was a wonderfully mindless activity.
I just watched until I became aware of my idle mind and thought about thinking of nothing, and then the broker snuck in.
When I began birding it was a pretty tense deal. It remained that way for years. Roger Tory Peterson had painted hundreds and hundreds of birds into his books, and those were the carrots on my birding stick. I wanted to see them all.
His books gave me a general idea about where the birds were, like in the green portion of that teeny tiny North American range map. Yes, but WHERE in the southwest?
Then I discovered checklists. Checklists are site-specific. The birds are on the list because someone saw them in a precisely defined area, often as small as a park or a refuge.
The draw was irresistible. I drove. I flew. I hiked. I never stood still for more than a minute. I had a great time. Then, I needed a 12-step program.
Some many years later I can be content to stare out the window at common birds doing everyday things. If I think about them, the questions are how and why instead of what and where.
